Volusia and Iris nodded. Max gave a swift, businesslike nod in return, as if they were his legionary comrades rather than two frightened women, then raised the tarp up once more. He created a small opening and eased his tall body out. He extended a hand back into the cart and helped first Volusia, then Iris out.
Volusia’s knees almost buckled as her legs unfolded and her feet hit the solid ground, but she managed to stay upright. She squinted, eyes straining after so long in the near pitch-darkness of the cart. She could see the fire burning and the shadowy form of Ulpius sitting next to it. Her heart leaped into her throat.
Max grabbed her shoulders and pointed her toward the forest. “Run,” he whispered.
Volusia broke into an unsteady, shuffling jog, turning her head to make sure Iris was following. A twig cracked beneath her feet, and panic shot through her. She ran faster, fearing that Ulpius had heard the sound and would be in pursuit. Iris’s harsh breathing sounded just behind her.
She didn’t stop running until a pair of strong arms seized her around the middle. She thrashed for a terrified moment before her senses caught up with her panicked mind. It was just Max.
“Juno’s cunt,” he said, breathing hard. “I thought you were going to run all the way to Rome.”
Volusia glanced anxiously behind him. “Are we safe? Did Ulpius hear?”
“I’d be surprised if he didn’t, but he showed no sign of it.”
Gratitude rushed through her. Ulpius hadn’t seemed eager to carry out Glabrio’s orders earlier when he’d been directed to apprehend her. She resolved to make a sacrifice in Ulpius’s name to Fortuna, the goddess of luck, once they got back to Rome.
Iris came to stand next to Volusia. “Now what?”
Max shrugged. “We just need to find somewhere to lie low until morning. The legionaries will be on their way, and we’ll be free.”
He made it sound so simple, but even after what they had suffered tonight, Volusia knew their hardship was only beginning. They still had to survive a long, arduous journey to Rome with no supplies, and likely on foot. And once they got to Rome, she would have to convince the people who mattered that one of the most powerful men in the Roman army had tried to have her murdered.
Chapter 14
Theypassedtherestof the night sleeping at the base of a wide tree with sheltering leaves. Or, at least, the women slept. Max stayed awake, both to keep watch for any danger and because he still hummed with anxious energy. His body didn’t seem to know that the immediate threat had passed. His muscles were tense, knotted, as if ready for Glabrio to jump out from behind the nearest tree.
Volusia and Iris curled themselves together, and he could tell from the rhythm of their breathing that they eventually fell into a doze. He wished he had a cloak to lay over them, but luckily it was still summer, and they were in no danger of freezing, even at night.
Out of everything terrible that had happened in the last few hours, the worst was that he’d left Elephant behind. Another thing he’d sacrificed for Volusia without a thought. His chest ached, wondering if Elephant was confused by his absence. She would be expecting him soon for her morning brush and treat. He missed her already, her comforting bulk, the way she nudged her head against him when she wanted something.
He would get her back somehow, if it was the last thing he did.
The sun crept over the horizon. As its rays strengthened, Volusia stirred. She sat up with a start, her gaze hopping around frantically until it landed on Max. “It wasn’t a dream, was it?”
“I’m afraid not,” Max replied.
Her eyes lowered to his arm, and she let out a soft shriek that woke Iris. “Max, your arm!”
He glanced down. His left forearm was covered in sticky dried blood. A thin, shallow slice split his skin. He must have gotten it in the brief fight with Glabrio and the other legionaries, but he didn’t even remember feeling a wound, and then it had been too dark to notice the blood. “Oh.”
Volusia scrambled to her feet and rushed to his side. She grabbed his arm and inspected the wound, her face paling. This was likely the first time she’d ever seen a wound like this.
Her touch stung, and Max pulled his arm away. “It’s nothing. Not even bleeding anymore, see?”
“But—but—” Emotion seemed to stop her words, and her eyes welled with tears. “Oh, Max, you could have died!”
Before Max knew what was happening, Volusia collapsed into his arms, her body shuddering with sobs. She clutched him as if she’d never let go, burying her face against his shoulder. His arms came up to embrace her. Her body felt slight, fragile in his grasp, but he knew the strength beneath her delicate bones. She had stared down a centurion intent on killing her without flinching, and had borne the trials of the previous night without complaint.
Iris, in a rare moment of tact, turned around and began to comb her fingers through her long blond hair, removing a few stray twigs and leaves.
Max held Volusia as she cried. It was good for her to cry, to release all of the fear and anxiety from the past night. Max, too, felt a knot of emotion in the center of his chest, but he couldn’t release it, just as he couldn’t allow himself to sleep last night. They weren’t out of danger yet, and he had to maintain his strength and composure if he wanted to keep Volusia and Iris safe.
Volusia pulled back and gazed up at him with a tear-stained face. “Glabrio is going to tell people in Rome we’re dead. Our families…” Her lips quivered, and another tear trickled down her cheek. “My son will think himself an orphan.”
A cold realization hit Max at her words. Their parents—and Volusia’s son—would be told they were dead. His stomach twisted at the thought of his family’s grief, but he couldn’t open the door to that now. He fought against the anguish, and forced himself to seize on a rational thought.
“Once we make it to the next town, we’ll figure out a way to get horses. We’ll steal them if we have to. We can make good time from there. With luck, we’ll only be a few days behind the others.” Though for his parents, a few days of thinking their son dead would be torture.
